MANKATO, Minn. — Everson Griffen has been teaching the Vikings’ young defensive linemen and entertaining them.

First, the entertainment part. Rakim Cox, a rookie defensive end, said Minnesota’s five-year veteran often puts on a good show.

“(Griffen is) a real funny guy,” Cox said. “He dances a little bit; he sings a little bit. He does all kind of things. He does a little hip movement, a little leg work.”

When it’s time to get serious, though, the defensive end is said to be ready to work.

For his first four seasons, Griffen did a lot of learning from seasoned veterans. He didn’t start on a line that featured the likes of Jared Allen and Kevin Williams.

But Allen, 32, and Williams, 33, have departed as free agents, and Griffen, 26, has moved into Allen’s starting spot at right defensive end, having suddenly become one of the older guys. The Vikings showed their confidence in Griffen by re-signing him in March to a five-year, $42.5 million contract.

“It is different now,” Griffen said about training camp. “You’ve got to become a leader. You got to come out and put your best foot forward because they expect you to do that. You should want to do that as a leader. So I just go out every day and help my young guys get better.”

It wasn’t long ago that Griffen was one of those young guys. But he is taking on a lot more responsibility in his new role.

“You got to let your actions speak,” he said. “And you can’t go out there and talk the talk when you’re not doing it on the field.”

Defensive line coach Andre Patterson said Griffen is doing a “great job” as a leader. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said he has been very vocal.

“He is communicating quite a bit,” Zimmer said. “He wants to answer every question that I ask in a meeting. It does not matter what position it is, he wants to answer it. I appreciate the way he goes about his work, and really, how good he wants to be. I think that he has a great heart and now he gets his opportunity on the field to show what kind of player he can be.”

Griffen saw his sacks drop from 8 in 2012 to 5-1/2 in 2013, but he actually was rated higher by Pro Football Focus. He came in at No. 20 among 4-3 defensive ends after having been No. 30 in 2012.

“He’s real cool,” Cox said. “You can ask him about anything. He’s a great pass rusher, for instance, so you can always go and ask him where your hand placement should be, how to watch the tackle and things like that.”

Griffen also can teach the young guys dance moves. But what the Vikings really want to see out of him is sack dances.

Chris joined the Pioneer Press in 2013 to cover the Vikings. He was a longtime NBA writer with the Akron Beacon Journal, Rocky Mountain News and AOL FanHouse. Before coming to Minnesota, he covered the Miami Heat and Dolphins for Fox Sports. Chris has won four awards in the past three Pro Football Writers of America contests. Chris is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he spent his college years watching the losingest team in the history of Division I-A football.

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